THUNDERSTORM CLIMATOLOGY BASED ON LIGHTNING DETECTOR DATA,MANITOBA, CANADA

Comparisons are made between thunderstorm data collected from a lightning detector network and from conventional climatic stations for the province of Manitoba, Canada. The greater resolution in time and space of lightning detector (direction finder) data makes it a valuable source of thunderstorm information and lends itself to some important applications. Data were collected for the forest fire season of 1985 using a network of 7 lightning direction finders distributed throughout the province. Some 67,912 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded by time and location during 122 thunderstorm days. July was the most active month with 27,260 strikes over 28 days. Two regions of the province had the greatest concentration of lightning strikes, indicating some influence by topography and position of large lakes. Case studies are presented of the most active lightning storms of 1985 and 1986. These storms are exclusively frontal storms, with most having similar synoptic weather patterns to those of large hailstorms and tornadoes in Manitoba. Relationships between meteorological parameters and lightning strike distribution are presented. These relationships may prove useful in the suppression of lightning-caused forest fires, especially in remote areas of the province. [Key words: lightning, thunderstorm, synoptic climatology, natural hazards, fire prevention.]     

Dissolved and particulate organic carbon in the North Inlet estuary,South Carolina: What controls their concentrations?

Water samples have been taken daily at 1030 EST from three locations within North Inlet (South Carolina) since June of 1980 in order to evaluate the tidal, seasonal, and eventually annual variability in carbon concentrations within this system and generate hypotheses explaining the observed trends. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations within North Inlet (South Carolina) vary inversely with salinity (r²=0.65), suggesting the main source of DOC in North Inlet is freshwater entering from the adjacent forested watershed. This assertion is supported by an observed decrease of tidal water salinity with the onset of streamflow. DOC variability is also associated with (1) groundwater advection and/or runoff and seepage from the marsh surface; (2) removal from tidal water via either physical sorption or biological uptake; (3) sampling location; and (4) origin of water mass. Particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations vary seasonally, higher values found during the summer. POC variability is controlled by a series of physical and biological factors. Evidence suggests that in the smaller tidal creeks, POC concentrations are associated with (1) rain events scouring the marsh surface, (2) phytoplankton concentrations varying as a function of tidal stage, and (3) removal of particulate material from the marsh surface on the ebb tide. In the larger tidal creeks tidal water velocity appears to be the main factor influencing POC values.     

Functional and Compositional Responses of Periphyton Mats to Simulated Saltwater Intrusion in the Southern Everglades

Periphyton plays key ecological roles in karstic, freshwater wetlands and is extremely sensitive to environmental change making it a powerful tool to detect saltwater intrusion into these vulnerable and valuable ecosystems. We conducted field mesocosm experiments in the Florida Everglades, USA to test the effects of saltwater intrusion on periphyton metabolism, nutrient content, and diatom species composition, and how these responses differ between mats from a freshwater versus a brackish marsh. Pulsed saltwater intrusion was simulated by dosing treatment chambers monthly with a brine solution for 15 months; control chambers were simultaneously dosed with site water. Periphyton from the freshwater marsh responded to a 1-ppt increase in surface water salinity with reduced productivity and decreased concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These functional responses were accompanied by significant shifts in periphytic diatom assemblages. Periphyton mats at the brackish marsh were more functionally resilient to the saltwater treatment (~?2 ppt above ambient), but nonetheless experienced significant shifts in diatom composition. These findings suggest that freshwater periphyton is negatively affected by small, short-term increases in salinity and that periphytic diatom assemblages, particularly at the brackish marsh, are a better metric of salinity increases compared with periphyton functional metrics due to functional redundancy. This research provides new and valuable information regarding periphyton dynamics in response to changing water sources in the southern Everglades that will allow us to extend the use of periphyton, and their diatom assemblages, as tools for environmental assessments related to saltwater intrusion.     

Formation pressure testing at the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope: Operational summary, history matching, and interpretations

In February 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy, BP Exploration (Alaska), and the U.S. Geological Survey, collected open-hole pressure-response data, as well as gas and water sample collection, in a gas hydrate reservoir (the BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well) using Schlumberger's Modular Dynamics Formation Tester (MDT) wireline tool. Four such MDT tests, ranging from six to twelve hours duration, and including a series of flow, sampling, and shut-in periods of various durations, were conducted. Locations for the testing were selected based on NMR and other log data to assure sufficient isolation from reservoir boundaries and zones of excess free water. Test stages in which pressure was reduced sufficiently to mobilize free water in the formation (yet not cause gas hydrate dissociation) produced readily interpretable pressure build-up profiles. Build-ups following larger drawdowns consistently showed gas-hydrate dissociation and gas release (as confirmed by optical fluid analyzer data), as well as progressive dampening of reservoir pressure build-up during sequential tests at a given MDT test station.History matches of one multi-stage, 12-h test (the C2 test) were accomplished using five different reservoir simulators: CMG-STARS, HydrateResSim, MH21-HYDRES, STOMP-HYD, and TOUGH + HYDRATE. Simulations utilized detailed information collected across the reservoir either obtained or determined from geophysical well logs, including thickness (11.3 m, 37 ft.), porosity (35%), hydrate saturation (65%), both mobile and immobile water saturations, intrinsic permeability (1000 mD), pore water salinity (5 ppt), and formation temperature (3.3-3.9 °C). This paper will present the approach and preliminary results of the history-matching efforts, including estimates of initial formation permeability and analyses of the various unique features exhibited by the MDT results.     

The geopotential value <Emphasis Type="Italic">W</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript> for specifying the relativistic atomic time scale and a global vertical reference system

The TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) satellite alti- meter mission marked a new era in determining the geopotential constant W ₀. On the basis of T/P data during 1993–2003 (cycles 11–414), long-term variations in W ₀ have been investigated. The rounded value W ₀ = 62636856.0 ± 0.5) m ² s ⁻² has already been adopted by the International Astronomical Union for the definition of the constant L _G = W ₀/c ² = 6.969290134 × 10⁻¹⁰ (where c is the speed of light), which is required for the realization of the relativistic atomic time scale. The constant L _G , based on the above value of W ₀, is also included in the 2003 International Earth Rotation and Reference Frames Service conventions. It has also been suggested that W ₀ is used to specify a global vertical reference system (GVRS). W ₀ ensures the consistency with the International Terrestrial Reference System, i.e. after adopting W ₀, along with the geocentric gravitational constant (GM), the Earth’s rotational velocity (ω) and the second zonal geopotential coefficient (J ₂) as primary constants (parameters), then the ellipsoidal parameters (a,α) can be computed and adopted as derived parameters. The scale of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000) has also been specified with the use of W ₀ to be consistent with the geocentric coordinate time. As an example of using W ₀ for a GVRS realization, the geopotential difference between the adopted W ₀ and the geopotential at the Rimouski tide-gauge point, specifying the North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD88), has been estimated.     

The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey: galaxy luminosity functions per spectral type

We calculate the optical b _J luminosity function (LF) of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey (2dFGRS) for different subsets defined by their spectral properties. These spectrally selected subsets are defined using a new parameter, η , which is a linear combination of the first two projections derived from a Principal Component Analysis. This parameter η identifies the average emission- and absorption-line strength in the galaxy rest frame spectrum, and hence is a useful indicator of the present star formation. We use a total of 75 000 galaxies in our calculations, chosen from a sample of high signal-to-noise ratio, low-redshift galaxies observed before 2001 January. We find that there is a systematic steepening of the faint-end slope ( α ) as one moves from passive  ( α =-0.54)  to active  ( α =-1.50)  star-forming galaxies, and that there is also a corresponding faintening of the rest frame characteristic magnitude   M *-5 log₁₀( h )  (from −19.6 to −19.2). We also show that the Schechter function provides a poor fit to the quiescent (Type 1) LF for very faint galaxies  [ M _{b J}-5 log₁₀( h )  fainter than −16.0], perhaps suggesting the presence of a significant dwarf population. The LFs presented here give a precise confirmation of the trends seen previously in a much smaller preliminary 2dFGRS sample, and in other surveys. We also present a new procedure for determining self-consistent k -corrections, and investigate possible fibre-aperture biases.     

Geomorphic and sedimentologic evidence for the separation of Lake Superior from Lake Michigan and Huron

A common break was recognized in four Lake Superior strandplain sequences using geomorphic and sedimentologic characteristics. Strandplains were divided into lakeward and landward sets of beach ridges using aerial photographs and topographic surveys to identify similar surficial features and core data to identify similar subsurface features. Cross-strandplain, elevation-trend changes from a lowering towards the lake in the landward set of beach ridges to a rise or reduction of slope towards the lake in the lakeward set of beach ridges indicates that the break is associated with an outlet change for Lake Superior. Correlation of this break between study sites and age model results for the strandplain sequences suggest that the outlet change occurred sometime after about 2,400 calendar years ago (after the Algoma phase). Age model results from one site (Grand Traverse Bay) suggest an alternate age closer to about 1,200 calendar years ago but age models need to be investigated further. The landward part of the strandplain was deposited when water levels were common in all three upper Great Lakes basins (Superior, Huron, and Michigan) and drained through the Port Huron/Sarnia outlet. The lakeward part was deposited after the Sault outlet started to help regulate water levels in the Lake Superior basin. The landward beach ridges are commonly better defined and continuous across the embayments, more numerous, larger in relief, wider, have greater vegetation density, and intervening swales contain more standing water and peat than the lakeward set. Changes in drainage patterns, foreshore sediment thickness and grain size help in identifying the break between sets in the strandplain sequences. Investigation of these breaks may help identify possible gaps in the record or missing ridges in strandplain sequences that may not be apparent when viewing age distributions and may justify the need for multiple age and glacial isostatic adjustment models. This is the third in a series of ten papers published in this special issue of Journal of Paleolimnology. These papers were presented at the 47th Annual Meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (2004), held at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. P.F. Karrow and C.F.M. Lewis were guest editors of this special issue. The U.S. Government's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Experimental stability of magnesium sulfate hydrates that may be present on Mars

Since the Viking missions in 1976, magnesium sulfates have been predicted to exist on the surface of Mars. Recent orbital measurements suggest that Mg-sulfates are rather ubiquitous on the martian surface. Chemical analyses by landers support the inference that Mg-sulfate hydrates may be one source of the significant quantities of equatorial near-surface hydrogen observed by the neutron and γ-ray spectrometers on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The present study was undertaken to examine stability relations among the various Mg-sulfate hydrates. Using saturated salt solutions to control water-vapor pressure at temperatures of 3, 23, 50, 63, and 75 °C, Mg-sulfate phases were allowed to equilibrate from 2 to 3 months to see which hydration states were formed or were stable. Starting materials consisted of hexahydrite (6H₂O), starkeyite (4H₂O), kieserite (1H₂O), a second monohydrate-polymorph available as a chemical reagent, and an anhydrous MgSO₄ reagent. Products created in this study included these minerals, along with epsomite (7H₂O), sanderite (2H₂O), amorphous MgSO₄ (1-2H₂O), several previously undescribed phases, one of which was quite persistent (2.4H₂O), and trace amounts of pentahydrite (5H₂O). As expected, Mg-sulfate stability is strongly dependent on water vapor pressure and temperature. Lower temperatures favor the more hydrated Mg-sulfates. However, the MgSO₄ system was found to be surprisingly complicated and is strongly dominated by metastability, sluggish kinetics, and reaction pathways. Unexpected results were frequently encountered, in addition to the formation of previously undescribed phases. Several of the hydrates also show significant metastable extensions, such that phase boundaries can only be approximated. For example, kieserite, which has been reported on Mars from OMEGA data, in addition to having a distinct stability region, is resistant to transformation and persists throughout temperature-RH space until very high relative humidities are achieved. Results of this study show that MgSO₄ hydrates in addition to epsomite, hexahydrite, and kieserite can persist and should not be overlooked when assessing possible Mg-sulfate minerals that can occur on Mars.     

Petrologic diversity in Mount St. Helens dacites during the last 4,000 years: implications for magma mixing

Mount St. Helens has explosively erupted dacitic magma discontinuously over the last 40,000 years, and detailed stratigraphic data are available for the past 4,000 years. During this last time period the major-element composition of the dacites has ranged from mafic (62–64 wt% SiO₂) to felsic (65–67 wt% SiO₂), temperature has varied by about 150°C (770°–920°C), and crystallinity has ranged between 20% and 55%. Water content of these dacites has also fluctuated greatly. Although the source for the dacitic magmas is probably partial melting of lower crustal rocks, there is strong physical evidence, such as banded pumices, thermal heterogeneities in single pumices, phenocryst disequilibrium, contrasts between compositions of glass inclusions and host matrix glass, and amphibole reaction rims, that suggests that magma mixing has been prominent in the dacitic reservoir. Indeed, we suggest that the variations in major- and trace-element abundances in Mount St. Helens dacites indicate that magma mixing between felsic dacite and mafic magma has controlled the petrologic diversity of the dacitic magmas. Magma mixing has also controlled the composition of andesites erupted at Mount St. Helens, and thus it appears that the continuum of magmatic composition erupted at the volcano is controlled by mixing between felsic dacite, or possibly rhyodacite, and basalt. The flux of the felsic endmember to the reservior appears to have been relatively constant, whereas the flux of basalt may have increased in the past 4,000 years, as suggested by the apparently increased abundance of mafic dacite and andesite erupted in this period.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage over 45 years in Carnation Creek,BC, a previously glaciated mountain catchment

The movement of sediment through mountain river networks remains difficult to predict, as processes beyond streamflow and particle size are responsible for the entrainment and transport of bedload sediment. In deglaciated catchments, additional complexity arises from glacial impacts on landscape organization. Research to date indicates that the quantity of sediment stored in the channel is an important component of sediment transport in systems which alternate between supply and transport limited states, but limited long-term field data exist which can capture storage-transfer dynamics over a timescale encompassing episodic supply typical of mountain streams. We use a 45-year dataset with annual and decadal-scale data on sediment storage, channel morphology, and wood loading to investigate the spatial and temporal organization of storage in Carnation Creek, a previously glaciated 11 km² catchment on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sediment is supplied episodically to the channel, including additions from debris flows in the early 1980s just upstream of the studied channel region. Analyzing the spatial and temporal organization of sediment storage along 3.0 km of channel mainstem reveals a characteristic storage wavelength similar to the annual bedload particle travel distance. Over time, two scales of variation in storage are observed: small-scale fluctuation of 3–10 years corresponding to local erosional and depositional processes, and larger scale response over 25–35 years related to supply of sediment from hillslopes. Complex relationships between storage and sediment transfer (i.e., annual change in storage) are identified, with decadal-scale hysteresis present in storage-transfer relations in sites influenced by hillslope sediment and logjams. We propose a conceptual model linking landscape organization to temporal variability in storage and to storage–export cycles. Collectively, our results reaffirm the importance of storage to sediment transport and channel morphology, and highlight the complexity of storage–transport interactions. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.